Bellevue VS Bothell - 10.15.26
bellevue 0 - 2 Bothell
41st 0-1 Bothell FK
53rd 0-2 Bothell PK
A year ago we took the field against a very good Bothell team as confident as we could be. We had just come off our best performance of the year, a 3-1 victory over the #1 4A team in the state, Issaquah. We were magnificent against Issy. So we were riding high...and stumbled and fumbled our way to a 0-1 loss against Bothell.
I could almost just cut/paste my recap from a year ago for tonight's summary.
But there were a few differences:
The biggest controversy happened early, in the 14th min, as Saleen beat the last defender and was clear on goal when the defender grabbed a fistful of jersey and aggressively pulled her back. Obvious. Clear. The decision on the field was a foul (obviously), and a yellow card. Sigh. The referee immediately knew the call was going to be controversial, so to his credit, came to the sideline and explained to me that he had called an earlier foul in the sequence, before the shirt tug when Saleen was clear. More sighs, because he didn't blow the whistle earlier in the sequence, correctly allowing a beat or two to see if Saleen would have an advantage without the foul being called. Which she did. Then the jersey pull a moment later. THEN the whistle. I understand the reluctance of sending off a player on senior night within the first fifteen minutes of a game (I wish our referee versus Mt. Si had showed similar restraint); however, that should've been a red card. But it wasn't. I think the referee knew it too. Cougars should've been playing with ten for 65 minutes. Teeth grit. It happens. And we move on.
With 5 minutes left in the half, Elle scored from an assist by Lola that looked like it might've just crossed the endline before Lola passed it. The linesman judged it did. It was very very close. The video is unclear. No goal. Sigh. It happens. And we move on.
We earned a corner late in the half and had our looping header donk the crossbar rather than nest in the net. Thin margins. It happens. And we move on.
And there was the physical play. The word "physical" is doing a lot of work here. Overall, it was a good test because many 3A teams aiming for a state title settle for a similar style; relentless in the tackle, a tornado of aggression. Late challenges, high elbows, and smack talk. However, other than one clear yellow card (red?) miss when the referee had poor line-of-sight (but it happened in direct eyeline for me, and our supporters behind me) of a high elbow that caught Elle in the neck, I truly believe the referee did his best to control the game. He showed 5-6 yellow cards to Bothell, and called a foul each time I thought there was a clear infraction. Let me be clear: we did not lose that game because of the referee. It was not a biased situation at all. And as a program, we were considerably too harsh on the referees for my liking. That's not who we are. Remember my request at our parent meeting to start the year: please continue to support our team with full-throated, passionate cheering. Be engaged in the game. But shouted threats and jeers directed towards the referee aren't helping us. That's not what we're about.
Halftime was 0-0 but we had had the better chances. Katelyn didn't have to make a single save, and we were constantly knocking on the door. We weren't exactly flowing in attack, but we were playing solid, organized defense and not allowing Bothell any good looks at our goal.
One minute into the second half, we made our task more difficult. From a Bothell free kick that was lobbed into our box, we got caught ball-watching on the rebound, and the unmarked Cougars were quickest with a snap shot into the far corner that left Elena no chance. Unfortunately, this has happened before (LW winning goal), and it's an issue that we'll study and improve on going forward. But I don't like repeat lessons. The initial looping ball was never the real danger, it's always the second ball...and yet, if you watch the heads of our defenders we are all transfixed on the initial header challenge, forgetting that our collective responsibility is actually the unmarked players wearing Cougar blue jerseys surrounding the initial challenge. Hopefully, this is the last experiential reminder we need. A third lesson on this subject should not be necessary.
Ten minutes later, we conceded a penalty. There was a series of comical errors that led to the PK, including the referee getting hit in the down-belows from our attempted clearance. From the resulting drop ball, we unintentionally gave the ball back to Bothell in a very very dangerous situation at midfield with no defensive cover. Their star player was released behind our defense and we clearly fouled her in the box. She dispatched the PK with skill. 0-2.
There were at least four more Bothell yellow cards before the game ended as the Cougars clawed and scratched their way to the final whistle. But that was it. A loss in a game that was always going to be competitive, but one in which we significantly underperformed, especially in the second half. Simply put, we earned our loss.
And we move on. We don't have to like it. But we move on.
In 48 hours, we play again. This time at home. And it's our opportunity to celebrate our seniors during their last regular season game on our home turf. For me it's always a very nostalgic night as I have so many happy memories of Elina, Kasia, Mack and Saleen across their four years in our program. I know our team will be prepared to honor their teammates in the best possible way: with joy, thoughtful support, and respect.
See you then.
Peter
